What Makes Angel Studios Stand Apart
By Movieguide® Contributor
Angel Studios vice president Brandon Purdie believes his company’s unique moviemaking model is the reason their movies succeed despite little support from the outside.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years,” Purdie told Christian Headlines. “And I think this is the first time I would say, ‘This is a game-changer.’ This is something that innovates the industry forever.”
Their movie SOUND OF FREEDOM shocked the box office, crossing the $100 million threshold this week.
Purdie is referencing the unique way that Angel Studios chooses their projects. Angel lets their audience vote on the projects that they fund through their “Angel Guild.” This allows the studio to create movies that their audience wants to see and release them with a core audience already built.
“This is what the industry doesn’t have,” Purdie said. “I think there’s far too much aspirational product development [in Hollywood], too many people saying, ‘This is what an audience should want,’” rather than knowing this is what audiences will want.
Aspirational production development is how the industry ends up with a hundred different superhero movies. One does very well, and then everyone else tries to get in on the action. When these movies hit theaters, the studios expect they will do well, but sometimes find their bubble burst as audiences are tired of the newest trend.
As for Angel, “by the time we come to opening weekend, we’re not going to the theater to find out whether we have an audience. We’re going with the audience that already voted for the project to go to Angel, already helped get it to be crowdfunded. We’re going to the theater to celebrate with a built community that’s passionate about the project. And that’s why we’re having these successes,” Purdie explained. “That’s what’s so unique about Angel.”
Angel’s model clearly works. Their first movie this year, HIS ONLY SON, surprised moviegoers by opening to No. 3 at the box office the weekend before Easter. SOUND OF FREEDOM has really made a statement, beating INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY to top the box office on its opening day and is well on its way to grossing $100 million.
Part of Angel’s success also comes from their “pay it forward” ticket sales. The Studio enables fans to share the movies by buying tickets for others who would be unable to afford them otherwise. On SOUND OF FREEDOM’s opening day, roughly $2 million of their $14 million in ticket sales were purchased as pay it forward tickets.
Angel still has two movies on the horizon this year – the documentary AFTER DEATH, releasing in October, and sci-fi drama THE SHIFT which is slated for December.
Movieguide® previously reported on Angel Studios’ upcoming projects:
During their annual illuminate event, Angel Studios celebrated a groundbreaking year while announcing that their upcoming projects include movies with actors Neal McDonough, Kristoffer Polaha and director Andy Erwin.
Erwin’s project, FOUNDERS, tells the story about the origins of the United States. He will also executive produce a previously announced project, TRUTH AND CONVICTION, which tells the story of a group of friends who opposed Hitler.
“I’ve come to just love the story of the creation of the country, and I’ve dreamed of telling it for years, and I’ve become convinced that the best place to tell it is right here,” Erwin said.
McDonough’s project, HOMESTEAD, is described by Angel as a “dystopian story of the power of family in the pressure cooker of an apocalypse.”
